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This study aimed to investigate faculty and academic leaders' conceptions of competence and competence-based education. Data were collected from 22 participants (18 males and 4 females). These participants played faculty, academic leadership, and both roles simultaneously. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, which necessitated them to define competence and competence-based education. We used the inductive content analysis method and a deductive one to analyze the data. Ten categories emerged. Iterative reading of these categories revealed that they could be grouped under three principal categories identified in the literature: competence and behavioristic-functionalism, competence and integrated occupationalism, competence and situated professionalism, and an indistinct category. The three principal categories also disclosed the participants' conceptions of competence-based education. Frequency counts of the prevalence of categories revealed competence and integrated occupationalism as the leading category, while competence and behavioristic-functionalism was the least prevalent. The emergence of 10 categories and three principal categories essentially highlighted the inconsistencies that prevailed in the conceptions of competence and competence-based education, which will affect practice in the study context.

Blended learning describes a combination of teaching methods, often utilizing digital technologies. Research suggests that learner outcomes can be improved through some blended learning formats. However, the cost-effectiveness of delivering blended learning is unclear. This study aimed to determine the cost-effectiveness of a face-to-face learning and blended learning approach for evidence-based medicine training within a medical program. The economic evaluation was conducted as part of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) comparing the evidence-based medicine (EBM) competency of medical students who participated in two different modes of education delivery. In the traditional face-to-face method, students received ten 2-hour classes. In the blended learning approach, students received the same total face-to-face hours but with different activities and additional online and mobile learning. Online activities utilized YouTube and a library guide indexing electronic databases, guides, and books. Mobile learning involved self-directed interactions with patients in their regular clinical placements. The attribution and differentiation of costs between the interventions within the RCT was measured in conjunction with measured outcomes of effectiveness. An incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was calculated comparing the ongoing operation costs of each method with the level of EBM proficiency achieved. Present value analysis was used to calculate the break-even point considering the transition cost and the difference in ongoing operation cost. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio indicated that it costs 24% less to educate a student to the same level of EBM competency via the blended learning approach used in the study, when excluding transition costs. The sunk cost of approximately AUD $40,000 to transition to the blended model exceeds any savings from using the approach within the first year of its implementation; however, a break-even point is achieved within its third iteration and relative savings in the subsequent years. The sensitivity analysis indicates that approaches with higher transition costs, or staffing requirements over that of a traditional method, are likely to result in negative value propositions. Under the study conditions, a blended learning approach was more cost-effective to operate and resulted in improved value for the institution after the third year iteration, when compared to the traditional face-to-face model. The wider applicability of the findings are dependent on the type of blended learning utilized, staffing expertise, and educational context.

Background Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are a cornerstone in many postgraduate medical education programs. However, the design of EPAs varies widely across programs, the validity of newly developed EPAs is rarely tested, and there is little agreement on how to validate them. This study aimed to describe and evaluate the consensus finding and validation process for the development of EPAs in Emergency Medicine (EM) in Switzerland following a stringent, construct-validity-enhancing approach. Methods A conceptual framework was adopted as a template for the development and validation process. In the first step, a multi-institutional, core expert panel of EM physicians was assembled and received preparatory training. This group subsequently identified, developed, and revised EPAs in iterative rounds using Delphi and nominal group techniques. In the final step, a second expert panel, which was not involved in the development process, carried out validations of the EPAs using EQual rubric scores, generalizability analysis, and intra-class correlation coefficients. Results The development process resulted in 24 EPAs subdivided into 7 junior EPAs and 17 senior EPAs. The validation of the EPAs showed a mean total EQual rubric score of 4.08 (± 0.04) on a 5-point scale for all EPAs. The generalizability analysis yielded a phi-coefficient of 0.66 and an intra-class correlation coefficient of 0.83. Conclusions By using and challenging existing strategies and validity-enhancing instruments, we were able to develop and validate EPAs in EM. Key elements in this process were the adherence to a conceptual framework as a structural planning template, multimodal preparatory education of experts, and validation by a second, independent expert group via appropriate tools such as the EQual rubric score.

Purpose The present study aims to reveal common and diverging trends in the development of pedagogical competences of vocational education and training (VET) teachers and trainers in Italy and Lithuania. Design/methodology/approach A structured survey was administered to Italian and Lithuanian teachers. The collected data were analysed and compared. Findings Results show that there are many common challenges and problems in the development of pedagogical competencies of the VET teachers in both countries; e.g.: the marginalisation of the VET teacher's work and working conditions, especially the dissatisfying wages and poor career opportunities, and the absent or weak institutionalisation of the VET teacher's qualifications and training. Originality/value The emerged results can be useful for directors of VET-centres and VET-schools to manage training and pedagogical growth of teachers both in Italy and in Lithuania. Moreover, the outputs can be considered as a set of suggestions also by the policymakers both at national and European level.

Context: International comparative research on Vocational Education and Training (VET) is gaining importance, as global cooperation and mutual learning in VET grows. However, it is characterized by a high degree of complexity, due on one hand, to the heterogeneity of the VET sector, and on the other hand to the unique challenges of international comparisons. In addition, comparative research projects are increasingly conducted in the form of cross-border collaborations, which have their own particular organizational and methodological considerations, opportunities, and challenges. This paper presents an example of a cooperative research process, aimed at investigating the complex phenomenon of the competence-based approach in Russian and Chinese VET. In providing an example of developing an instrument for curriculum analysis and comparison, we discuss and reflect on the methodological and organizational peculiarities and challenges of the research process conducted collaboratively by an international team. Method: The instrument for analysis and comparison of curricular documents, was developed in an iterative multi-stage process, combining deductive and inductive steps. The embeddedness of the elements of a competence-based approach in curricular documents is investigated, using qualitative content analysis. To develop a coding frame, we started with a comprehensive partially systematic literature review of international, Russian and Chinese discourses on competence-based curricula. The frame was built on the selected model of competence-based education, and on accumulated results of the literature analysis of national discourses. Furthermore, during the first coding process, an iterative adaptation of the developed instrument took place. Results: The result of this process was the development of an analysis instrument which, on the one hand, is well-adapted to each national context and, on the other hand, allows a comparison of results along the same dimensions of analysis, in our case, elements of the competence-based approach in curriculum. Conclusion: Developing an analysis framework for a cross-cultural comparative investigation of such a diffuse and heterogeneous construct as the competence-based approach, can pose a methodological challenge for an international team of researchers. However, an effective application of own team resources such as proficiency in different languages, insider and outsider perspectives, along with continuous intensive communication and a flexible, iterative research process, allows development of a well-adapted analysis instrument for international comparison.

Competence-based education is a widely implemented educational approach, but more research is needed into the relationship between transversal competences and individual disciplines. In this article, we present the results of a study focusing on how the transversal competence of multiliteracy is contextually defined in Finnish local curricula in the disciplines of mathematics and social studies. The article offers new insights into the discussion between content- and competence-based educations by introducing the concept of disciplinary contextualisation. Based on the qualitatively analysed data, four different types of disciplinary contextualisation are presented and further discussed. The study also engages with the discussion in the field of multiliteracy by offering insights into the ways in which multiliteracy is rationalised, defined, and developed in the analysed disciplines. Multiliteracy contextualisations share features, but also differences, between the disciplines, illustrating the importance of taking into account the disciplinary perspective when discussing the development of competences in basic education.

Studies of connections between teacher behaviour and student outcomes are numerous, but those specifically addressing such connections in a competence-based vocational education setting are limited. For a sample of Indonesian students, this study examined the connection between two dimensions of teacher interpersonal behaviour (proximity and influence) and student competency levels, as well as whether or not these relations are mediated by students’ intrinsic motivation. Additionally, it examined if these relations differed in learning environments with high versus low characteristics of competence-based education (HCBE vs. LCBE). Three questionnaires responded to by 506 first-year students were analysed using multigroups structural equation modelling. Teacher cooperative behaviour affected student motivation positively, and the influence was stronger in LCBE learning environments. Teacher controlling behaviour reduced student-perceived competency levels, with the reduction stronger in HCBE learning environments. Implications of the findings for teaching and learning in vocational education are discussed.

Millennials are quickly becoming the most prevalent generation of medical learners. These individuals have a unique outlook on education and have different preferences and expectations than their predecessors. As evidenced by its implementation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education in the United States and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Canada, competency based medical education is rapidly gaining international acceptance. Characteristics of competency based medical education can be perfectly paired with Millennial educational needs in several dimensions including educational expectations, the educational process, attention to emotional quotient and professionalism, assessment, feedback, and intended outcomes. We propose that with its attention to transparency, personalized learning, and frequent formative assessment, competency based medical education is an ideal fit for the Millennial generation as it realigns education and assessment with the needs of these 21st century learners.

Theory and research in the field of competence-based vocational education (CBVE) have advanced enormously during the last decades, although empirical research on CBVE lags far behind. CBVE researchers have complained about the lack of evidence that CBVE results in better competence development, the decreasing attention for knowledge development in CBVE practice, and the cross-sectional nature of much CBVE research. This study addresses these issues by reviewing a worldwide competence-based education literature and comparing competence and knowledge development of students in vocational schools in Indonesia that have implemented principles of CBVE to a higher or lesser degree. The study involved 506 students majoring in food processing and technology and 32 teachers from 11 agricultural secondary vocational schools. Teachers and students rated student competence levels. Student knowledge was assessed with a multiple-choice test. Longitudinal data were collected during one school year at three points of time. Student competence development in high-CBVE was higher than in low-CBVE, suggesting that the implementation of CBVE was successful and had a motivating effect of both students and teachers in Indonesian vocational schools. However, knowledge development was indeed lower in high-CBVE than in low-CBVE, which needs further attention.

To realize competence-based education in the university, the goals of the curriculum should be described according to competence, while measurement and performance should be managed using appropriate core competence diagnostic tools. The purpose of this study is therefore to identify and explore the improvement directions of curriculum through core competence diagnosis. To achieve this, preliminary and follow-up surveys were conducted using offline questionnaires with students in the Department of Library and Information Science. According to the results of the analysis of this core competence diagnosis, the weakest competence was glocal competence, which was found to be statistically significant (t = 9.095, p < .000). Among the four sub-factors of glocal competence, the ability to use foreign languages was the least developed (t = − 25.286, p < .0001). There is a need to promote a variety of experiences and organize a program that develops confidence in students to converse with foreigners or to write what they wish in a foreign language. The result of the analysis of differences in the individual core competencies of Library and Information Science students showed that 33 (82.5%) of 40 students had a statistically significant difference in student competence, indicating that student learning core competence had somewhat improved. This study analyzed the difference in awareness of core competence through pre- and post-diagnosis using the self-core-competence measurement tool. By exploring, developing, and providing customized curriculum according to student needs based on this tool, it is expected that self-directed student participation and core competence can be increased.